CHAPTER 20.- MEXICO
--- 124,000.000

12/23/16

A.MEXICO AS A MISSION FIELD [see chapter 5 for Mexican
American Ministries]

Mexico is the site of
numerous advanced ancient Indian civilizations. For instance, the
Olmecs were Meso-America’s oldest civilization [3,000 BC] who developed a
mathematical system, the calendar and carved gigantic basalt heads. The
Mayas [1000 BC to 1000 AD] built the pyramids. The Toltecs were
followed by the Aztecs who built the city of Tenochititlan in 1325,
which is today Mexico City. Two centuries later Cortez destroyed the Aztec
empire and imposed three centuries of Spanish rule ona country
with 6,000 miles of varied coastline and a wide range of topography.

When Mexico became a
Republic in 1823, it included what is today California, Nevada, Utah,
Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The Texans soon revolted against
Mexican rule. Following the US-Mexican War of 1848, lands north of the Rio
Grande River became part of the US. Mexico, which is three times the size of
the state of Texas, is the world’s largest Spanish speaking nation. Her
people are a grand mix of Mestizo [Spanish-Amerindian, 60%], Amerindian 29%,
Euro-Amerindian 9% and the rest Asians [Arabs 400,000, Japanese 35,000,
Chinese 31,000] and refugees from Guatemala and Salvador, 100,000 each . The
people are divided into 61 different people groups and speak Spanish and/or
234 other languages.

1.MEXICO’S BORDER WITH THE US

Mexico’s economy
is poor and there is much joblessness. Because of massive national
indebtedness [$1,000 per person], the Peso was devalued, further weakening the
economy. The average yearly income is $10,000.00, [US $25,800.00] but more
than half the populous live on $135.00 per month. This is why so many Mexican
laborers who were pulled by the magnet of northern jobs are residing in the
US. In 1994, the North AmericanFree Trade Agreement, [NAFTA]
caused a dramatic growth in American industry all along the 2,000 mile
[TX/Mex] border
from Brownsville, TX, to Tijuana, Baja CA. Over 700,000 are employed by the
bustling plants just across the border. This greement unites Canada, US &
Mexico as trading partners for 478 million. NAFTA is blamed for the loss of
many manufacturing jobs.US.

TIJUANA.
Tijuana, a city of one million and growing at 5%, is said to be Mexico’s
frontier town or land of opportunity. It is also its safety valve, for many
cross the border illegally due to a faltering economy. Of the 1.2 million who
were apprehended trying to cross the border illegally last year, fully a third
were from this, the busiest corridor. Tijuana also has a history of drug
trafficking cartels, which send drugs into the US. Several cartels bring at
least $20 billion into Mexico’s economy. Now a new problem has developed with
increased drug usage on the streets of Tijuana. Other trouble includes US
gangs smuggling weapons into Tijuana. Great need for missionary activity
exists among all of Mexico’s teeming masses, including those living in urban
centers.

TEX-MEX BORDER.
The TEX-MEX border snakes along
the 1250 mile Rio Grande River from El Paso to Brownsville. Richard Conniff,
wrote in National Geographic [February 1996] that “the border sees hundreds of
millions of legal crossings each year...and growing. Countless others cross
illegally looking for work”. It would appear that between El Paso and
Brownsville some 690 maquilladoras [assembly plants] employing over
313,000, have been opened on the Mexican side of the border to take advantage
of low wages, $30.00 per day. Every day, 40,000 vehicles cross the border,
making it the center of the biggest free-trade deal in history. America is
being Mexicanized in many ways, including the fact that salsa outsells catsup
now. At the same time, Mexico is being Americanized by commercial
competition and mass culture.

Although there are jobs,
the people are living in colonias in jerry-built shacks, without proper
electricity or sewage. Water is delivered by truck to those who can pay. Two
cultures are meeting on the banks of the river, creating a new culture.

With the devaluation of
the Peso, millions of Mexicans are loosing what little they have been able to
save, including their homes. Therefore, nationwide at least a million have
joined ‘El Barzó[EP2]n,
an organization of debtors to take legal action and provide civil resistance
to the foreclosing on their homes and businesses.

EXPORTS -- Mexican oil is their greatest export and
keeps the economy afloat. Half of the oil is exported, primarily to the US.
Silver jewelry, tableware and crafts from Taxco are world famous.

TOURISM
-- Tourism is a major industry in such Pacific coast resorts as, Mazatlán,
Manzanillo, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta which is perhaps the busiest, drawing
2.4 million guests. All told the industry pours $300 million into the coffers.
The city of Cancún on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, boasts a
mega-resort which produces one-fourth of Mexico’s tourist revenue. Nearby are
the ancient Mayan temples and 900,000 indigenous Mayan peoples. Most of whom
still need to be evangelized.

Urbanization
in Mexico is similar to that of the US, 73%; however, urbanites are
concentrated in a few major cities with many living in poverty.

HEALTH PROBLEMS
Mexicans have a high rate of
diabetes. It is also reported that Leprosy is on the increase with currently
some 4 million with it and 65 per hour contracting it, according to the
American Leprosy Mission of Mexico.

CULTRUAL PROBLEMS It is reported
that the macho Mexican male has trouble controlling his temper in familiar
relationships. Domestic violence is pandemic afecting 50% of families.
[Wickipedia] Drug Cartells have promoted violence. Sixty percent of the
popilation is considered Mestizo.

The INDIGENOUS POPULATION includes 27 million. The
Afro-Mexican population is 1.4 million

MEXICO CITY [DF].
Mexico City,[9
million] the capital, is a megalopolis sprawling over 500 square miles and
includes 30,000 factories. DF is growing at the rate of 5,000 per day and
Greater Mexioco city is projected to become the world’s largest city
with a population of 21 million.
Although there are some 1200 churches, 1,000 neighborhoods have no evangelical
witness. It is said there are 18 million poor living in the city along with
the slum dwellers, numbering seven million, who live in squatter housing with
no plumbing. Another half million are destitute street children. A million
Indians have moved into the city.

A recent pole taken in
DF found that half of all households had been victimized by crime. Muggings
and bank robberies are common place. Kidnappings of businessmen and landowners
is on the rise. Yet, Mexico City is relatively safe [number 6 on a scale of 1
to 10] as compared to other cities worldwide. [Pulse November 1996]

The city is very
unstable, being built on an ancient lake bed and surrounded with volcanoes and
is routinely shaken by earthquakes. The streets are plagued with traffic and
the air is dense with smog. The masses of people are very poor because of
limited job opportunities, but they have learned to depend on one another like
family, which is said to be the strength of the Mexican character.

SIERRA MADRE
MOUNTAINS -- The Sierra Madres,
the backbone of the nation, are 800 miles long. The northern portion, with its
mile-deep gorges, is called the Grand Canyon of Mexico. It is also home to
60,000 Tarahumara and other Tepehuan Indians. The Indians who eke out a living
grazing cattle and farming along with the mestizos, plant their crops
according to the phases of the moon and call upon shaman to sacrifice meat and
corn to assure a good harvest.

MONTEREY
-- Monterry is the capital of business in Mexico. It is a manufacturing city
of 3 million, with shopping malls and a huge 230 foot tower called the
‘Lighthouse of Commerce’. Monterey is a city of severe contrasts, for it is
home to one of the 24 wealthy families who control half the wealth in Mexico
and the average worker who earns $5.00 per day. There are golf courses where
the membership costs $35,000 to $200,000 per year. Wealth has helped develop
cultural events, education and the arts. But the people desperately need the
Gospel.

VERACRUZ
-- Veracruz is Mexico’s busiest seaport which is shared by PEMEX, Mexico’s
state-owned petroleum company and Mexico’s largest fishing fleet where daily
11,600 commercial fishing boats supply 12% of the country’s seafood.

CHIAPAS STATE --
Chiapas is the southernmost state
of Mexico. When the price of coffee, the main cash crop fell, so did the
spirits of the people of this poorest of states. Land ownership has been a
long standing political problem which boiled to a head when the Zapatistas
formed a rebellion which was quickly quelled by the government. However, the
Zapatistas reorganized to become a national political movement. At the same
time, the workers on large farms began to take over the farms, making them
into collective farms. Political unrest continues. The people are poor with
few cars and low wages.

Among the people, 10,000
Indians have converted to Protestantism from the strange admixture of
Catholicism and Mayan spiritism. Altogether, more than a third of the native
peoples have converted to Protestantism.

B.RELIGIOUS HISTORY

The people of Mexico are
a very religious people. Although 88 percent are said to be Catholic, only 10
percent attend mass. The Amerindian peoples all have their ancient gods
to which they pay various homages. One homage has become a national holiday
called ‘The Day of the Dead”, celebrated with singing and dancing in
the villages. But, the most popular festival, preceding the Lenten season, is
called Carnival. It is a tragic time of abandonment of all religious
upbringing.

The major Amerindian
groups are: Aztecs [1.2 million], Maya [714,000], Mixteco [384,000], Zapoteco
[381,000], Otomi [280,000], Tzeltal [261,000], and Tzotzil [229,000]. The 260
people groups are said to be Christo-pagan, clinging to their ancient gods.
Half of these groups have no viable Christian witness. New Tribes Missionaries
and Presbyterian missionaries are seeking to enter some of these groups.

Although Mexico is a
secular state, the culture of Roman Catholicism dominates much that
happens in village and official life. The Protestant community [5.2%] is
divided into 322 denominations with 33,000 congregations totaling some 2.4
million believers with another 4.6 million who are affiliated. Half of the
Christians are Charismatic in theology.

Mexico has a population
of 95 million, about half of which is under the age of 20. Some 12,000
campuses boast a student population of 1.8 million. However, few churches have
programs designed to reach teen-agers in their churches, let alone a vision
for evangelizing students.

Religious persecution
is still felt in some parts of Mexico. In San Juan Chamula, southern Mexico,
thousands of Evangelical believers have been forced out of their villages, and
scores lost their lives over the last 2 decades.

C.MISSIONS IN MEXICO

No missionaries can
officially enter Mexico; however, the 2,000 missionaries serving under
175 agencies are issued tourist visas. There are 100 Bible schools and
seminaries servicing students desirous of preparing for ministry. God is doing
a great work in Mexico. Christian missionary radio beams in 1,000 hours
of the Gospel weekly. The Jesus Film in Spanish and 10 Indian
languages, is shown regularly. Although 250 SIL missionaries are presently
working in 68 languages, there is still much work to be done. Only two
languages have a complete Bible translation. The New Testament has been
translated into 91 languages and portions of Scripture into 39 others.

The Scriptures in 193
[of 364]
languages are available on cassette. Drive-In Ministries does
open air evangelism in cooperation with the national church, and has seen
8 churches planted and thriving under national pastors. Currently they have
two mobile units doing evangelism year round. UIM International has
several ministries among the Indians in the mountains of the province
of Sonora, as well as several tribes in the south. Source of Light Mission
conducts an extensive literature ministry under the leadership of
Manuel and Ruth Lopez who live in Puebla, a city of two million. Manuel speaks
of the great spiritual darkness into which they are pouring the LIGHT of the
GOSPEL. They plan to open Associate Schools in each state in Mexico.

The Ken Bowyers, who
work with the Totenoc Indians in Veracruz, under the COSECHA
MINISTRIES,
speak of the utter depravity and Spiritual needs of the people and how long it
takes to show the love of Christ to them in an understandable format.

There is a growing
missionary vision among the evangelicals in Mexico, who in 1997 comprise 15%
of the population. Nearly 100 missionaries have been sent overseas and many
others are working in Mexico. YWAM runs a Discipleship Training School in
Juarez to train nationals as missionaries.